Carlos Edriel Yulo of Team Philippines competes

Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Gymnasts are known for their flexibility, but Filipino standout Carlos Yulo, a two-time world champion, says a rigid approach to his training held him back in the past.

“[My training] is more flexible this time,” he said Wednesday (24 July) after official training ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. “I discovered myself, being independent, being happy about what I do.”

Three years ago at the Tokyo Games, Yulo came to Japan after a history-making gold medal on the floor exercise at the 2019 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, with expectations as high as his immaculate tumbling.

But errors on nearly every event, including floor, held him out of all the medal rounds except for the vault. Yulo missed the podium there, however, finishing fourth.

Since his Olympic debut, the Manila-native has had mixed results. He won four medals across the 2021 and 2022 worlds, but he left the 2023 World Championships empty-handed.

Following those championships, he and longtime coach Munehiro Kugimiya parted ways, sending him on somewhat of a global adventure. He’s bounced from training in his home in the Philippines to a stint in the Republic of Korea and mostly recently alongside Team GB’s Jake Jarman in Lilleshall, England.

“The facilities in the Philippines are not for the high-level athletes,” Yulo explained of the moves.

The 24-year-old has taken it all in stride, though.

“I want to acquire knowledge from other athletes, like ask them, ‘How to do these skills?’ and ask coaches, ‘How do I do this? Do you have any methods or strategies you can give me?’

“I’m asking them a lot of questions, how to do this, how to do that, like especially Jake, I really ask him, ‘How do you do your vaults?’” he continued. “It really helped me a lot, not only in gymnastics, in life, as well.”

It’s boosted his confidence, too.

Yulo says in Paris he’s “shooting for the stars.”

“[I want] a good performance,” he said of his goals. “Of course, a gold medal. I want to win in the floor exercise, vault, also. I’m really shooting for the individual all-around, as well.”